Process of water-proofing materials with aqueous emulsions



Patented Apr. 25, 1933 ran stars PATENT orator.

CARL ALFRED .BRAUN, OF MUNICH, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL BITUMEN EMULSIONS CORPORATION, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE PROGESSOF WATERPROOFING MATERIALS WITH AQUEOUS EMULSIONS No Drawing. Application filed April 21, 1930, Serial No. 446,169, and in Germany April '7, 1928.

The present invention relates to a process for water-proofing materials with aqueous emulsions. The process is particularly adapted for water-proofing fibrous material such as papers, pasteboards and textiles by impregnating the same with aqueous emulsions of water-proofing agents, such as oil, parafiin, ceresin, Montan wax, asphalt and similar substances. The invention is also adapted for water-proofing various inorganic and organic building and other materials, sucllg as sawdust, cork waste and crushed roc Heretofore it has been known to impreg nate paper, pasteboard and textiles with, for example, oils, paratfin waxes, tar and asphalt. For this purpose, for example, a finished paper or paper roll which must be of loose consistency and consequently possess the highest possible absorbability, is drawn through a liquid bath of the water-proofing agent, usually produced by melting the agent, after which the excess of the agent is removed from the paper or paper roll by suitable means.

It is also possible to coat such material with corresponding liquefied water repellant or' water-proofing substances. With such a process, the water-proofing agent impregnates the textile material in a more or less superficial manner and particularly in the case of heavy papers and pasteboards, the deeper lying fibers obtain little or. none of the impregnating substance.

Attempts have been made to utilize emulsions of water-proofing materials for the purpose of impregnating textiles to form water-proof -materials. When it is attempted to impregnate paper, pasteboard and textile rolls with emulsions, it is at once found that this is not possible because the emulsion possesses a very low degree of penetratability. The emulsion, when contacte-d with the paper, pasteboard or textile, separates and for example, asphalt, tar or wax particles are deposited on the surface only of the material, while the deeper layers see only the aqueous phase. Moreover, these layers change the concentration of the emul- 0 sion used by water absorption so that the emulsified substances on the surface and on the other hand, the fine pores of the paper, pasteboard or textile rolls act as afine filter layer for the emulsion and do not let the emulsified particles through. Consequently, only a surface action can take place.

If an attempt is made to treat, for example, paper pulp with an emulsion of a waterproofing agent in a hollander and then work up the mass in a paper machine, the emulsion at once decomposes and separates into the component parts. Separation does not in this instance, take place in a finely distributed iform, but there is a formation of lumps of the emulsified substances which become more "and more agglomerated and penetrate the paper pulp irregularly. There is thus produced partially an agglomeration of water-proofing material in the paper pul and partially an absolute lack of, emulslfi substances in other parts of the paper pulp.

Emulsions behave in similar manner when inorganic and organic substances, building materials, for example, fine or crushed rock, sand, cork or sawdust and the like, are mixed with them in, for example, a mixing drum. By a change of concentration and a change of the molecular electric equilibrium these emulsions break at once when contacted with the aforesaid substances, the bituminous substances separate out in lumps and penetrate the whole mass irregularly without allowing the individual particles to obtain a uniform coating.

In consideration of these facts, s ecial socalled non-adhesive emulsions have een prepared by means of colloidal powders, for

example clay, and these emulsions have been" used for water-proofing various materlalsi Emulsions prepared with colloidal powders form a more or less thick paste and contain varying amounts of very finely d1- vided insoluble substances together with the.

such as textile fibers or paper penetrate the whole mass and accordingly the water repellant properties of the same are not eatly improved.

I ave discovered a process for waten proofing and impregnating materials with emulsions in which it is unnecessary to use colloidal powders and in which a complete uniform impregnation covering of the material to be water-proofed may be attained without the formation of agglomerates. In my process I prefer to use a so-called quickbreaking emulsion such as may be prepared by the process described in my United States Patent #1,737,491 or in John Alexander Montgomeries Patent #1,643,67 5 in which no emulsifiers other than alkaline water are employed in the manufacture. Emulsions of this type, when mixed with untreated fibrous materials or aggregates, tend to break rapidly and form agglomerated masses without properly coating the substances with which they are mixed. Generally speaking, the

present invention embodies the discovery.

that if the material to be water-proofed or impregnated with an emulsion of a waterproofing agent, is first treated with a substance which has a tendency to stabilize the emulsion which is to be applied, the emulsion may then be added and mixed with the material to be water-proofed and a uniform impregnation and covering of the substance is attained. It seems that the difiiculty in water-proofing or impregnating a material fibers with an emulsion is that the original stable emulsions undergo an excessive rapid decomposition when they are contacted with the substances to be admixed or coated.

If these substances are pretreated with a solution of an emulsion stabilizer, this breaking of the emulsion only takes place after comparatively long contact and permits thorough admixing and absorption of the emulsion with and by the material to be treated so that when the emulsion does break, it is intimately distributed. Of emulsion stabilizers useable in the process, there are a great number and the following are listed as examples: Resin size, soap water glass, alkaline starch, small amounts of caustic alkalies or alkali carbonates and the like.

Thus, for example, water-proof paper may be prepared by adding to paper pulp in a hollander, a certain percentage of a known stabilizer and after the pulp has been thoroughly admixed with the emulsion stabilizer, the emulsion is then added in the required quantity. The preabsorption by the paper pulp of the emulsion stabilizer permits the paper pulp to be thoroughly admixed and impre ated by the emulsion before the emulsion breaks. When the emulsion breaks an exceedingly fine subdivision of emulsified material in the paper pulp is obtained. In certain cases, it may be desirable after the emulsion has been thoroughly admixed with the paper pulp in the hollander, to accelerate the breaking of the emulsion. For this purpose, for example, an electrolyte may be added in a small amount. This will cause the final breaking of the emulsion and insure that all of the emulsified substances will be retained by the paper pulp without loss.

The process may be conducted in a similar manner when, for example, crushed rock or sand is to be mixed up with bituminous emulsions in order to give mineral substances, designed for construction purposes, very fine bituminous coating. In such a case, there is first added a small amount of a suitable emulsion stabilizer to the crushed rock or sand in a mixing drum. The mass is well mixed so that the material is as much as possible uniformly saturated with the emulsion stabilizer. The emulsion is then added in the proper concentration and quantity and thor oughly admixed with the crushed rock or sand. In this manner it is possible to coat the organic or inorganic materials with emulsions without the formation of lumps. After the emulsion demulsifies, the building materials show an extremely fine bituminous film and eminently suited for road building and other purposes.

For the purpose of illustrating the preferred form of the invention, the following examples of processes utilizing this invention are given.

In preparing water-proof paper-or similar products, I prefer to proceed as follows:

Three kilograms of ordinary 75 percent resin size are introduced into a hollander with 300 kilograms of paper pulp calculated as dry material but in the usual density. The whole mass is intimately mixed so that the paper pulp becomes impregnated with the resin size or emulsion stabilizer. There is then added 600 liters of 50 percent asphaltic emulsion. The emulsion is added gradually while the mass is agitated and the hollander kept in motion until a breaking of the emulsion has begun and the asphalt particles have been distributed in the most intimate manner throughout the whole mass of the material.

Approximately 1.5 kilograms of aluminum sulphate dissolved in 300 liters of water, are finally added to serve as an electrolyte for securing the completebreaking of the emulsion. .The apparatus is left in motion for still some time and then the thus prepared paper pulp can then be worked up in the usual manner in a paper machine. The waste waters drained off from the hollander will be found to be absolutely clear, all of the water-proofing agent of the emulsion having been absorbed by the paper pulp. Moreover, the sieves and felts are not smeary or tacky and the paper roll may be passed emulsion stabilizer,

over the drying cylinders without sticking thereto.

In forming the paper from the pulp thus produced, the drying cylinder for the paper roll must be maintained at a suflicient temperature so that the finished asphalt particles of the paper roll will melt. This results in completing the uniform waterproofing of the paper produced.

hen I am using the process for producing water-proofed building materials, I proceed as follows:

, Finely crushed rock is placed in a mixing drum and a corresponding amount of one percent soap solution is first added in order to completely moisten the rock. Any excess is let off and then a 30 to 35 percent asphaltic emulsion is added, the amount of which is so measured that it is just sufficient for a complete saturation and permeation of the rock mass. The added soap solution acts as an emulsion stabilizer tie emulsion breaking rapidly when it gets in contact with the rock particles. As a result of the process, the rock particles are uniformly coated with the emulsion. After suflicient mixing, the rock particles are taken out of the mixing drum and left for a few hours for the purpose of demulsification. In this process no formation of asphalt lumps occurs and the rock mass cannot shave off bituminous particles by reciprocal rubbing of the particles during their motion in the drum. V

A crushed rock mass is obtained which is completely coated with the finest possible biuminous film and well suited for road building purposes after the breaking of the emulsion. Any excess of emulsion may be drained from the crushed rock and without further treatment, may be used over again, silnce no separation of the' emulsion takes ace.

p While the process herein described is well adapted for carrying outithe objects of the present invention, various modifications and changes may be made in the process Without departing from the process of the present invention and the present invention includes all in the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A process of waterproofing materials with aqueous emulsion of waterproofing agents which comprises pretrea-ting the materials to be waterproofed with a solution of then mixing the materials with a quick-breaking aqueous emulsion of waterproofing agent substantially free from colloidal powders, and finally adding an electrolyte to break the emulsion.

2. A with an waterproo treating the process of waterproofing material a ueous emulsion of a hydrocarbon g agent which comprises prematerial to be waterproofed with and prevents the asphalsuch modifications and changes as come witha solution of an emulsion stabilizer, and then mixing the material with a quick-breaking aqueous emulsion of a waterproofing agent substantially free of colloidal powders.

3. A process of producing waterproof paper which comprises, adding to paper pulp in a hollander, a solution of an emulsion stabilizer, agitating the mixture and then adding to the mixture a quick-breaking aqueous emulsion of a hydrocarbon waterproofing agent substantially free from colloidal powders and colloidal clay, and passing the. paper roll thus formed through a drying zone wherein it is heated to a temperature sufficient to melt the particles of the waterproofing agent.

4. A process of waterproofing material consisting of discrete particles, consisting of distributing a substance capable of stabilizing aqueous emulsions of waterproofing agents through the material to be waterproofed, and then mixing the material to be waterproofed and stabilizin substance carried thereby with a fluid quicdi-breaking type of aqueous emulsion of a waterproofing hydrocarbon substantially free from colloidal clay and colloidal powders, whereby said normally quick-breaking emulsion may be intimately distributed throughout the material to be waterproofed before said emulsion is broken and the waterproofing hydrocarbon deposited on the material.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification thls elg'hth day of March, 1930. p

' CARL ALFRED BRAUN.

DESGLAIIM EH "'1, 90 5,212. -'0afliAlfredBmun, MunichfiGermanyr PROCESS OF WATERPROOFING 7 MATERIALS WITH AQUEOUS EMULSIONS. =Patent dated Apnl 25,"1933.-

' Disclaimer filed September 20','1935,'by'the'assignee, InternationaLB'itumen- I I Emulsions Corporation. H

'Hereby disclaims claim-2of said patent, exce 1:. when the 'quicbbrenking aqueous emulsion employedin said process'issubstantia, y free fromfatty acids orsaponifi- I cation products thereof.

[Cfic'ial Gazetta October 15', 1935 .1 

